Getty Images Dave Joerger
The Philadelphia 76ers are preparing to take on the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs starting on Saturday. It’s a tough draw for Philly as the team lost three of the four regular-season meetings with the Raptors.
The Sixers will also be shorthanded for the games in Toronto since they’ll be without wing Matisse Thybulle. The third-year guard won’t be able to travel to Toronto because he is only partially vaccinated.
The news certainly isn’t ideal as Thybulle is having a career season and is the Sixers’ best defensive player. While that news isn’t ideal, the team did receive some good news before the playoffs get underway.
Back on the Bench
In early February the Sixers announced that top assistant coach Dave Joerger had returned to the team. Joerger stepped away from the team back in November to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments for a form of head and neck cancer.
After his initial diagnosis, Joerger told ESPN that they caught the cancer early and that he had “over a 90% chance of cure rate.” Even with a high chance of being cured, Joerger has still been through a lot physically.
In a recent interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer Joerger said that swallowing food is still a challenge for him. He also had to use a feeding tube for weeks. His experience has given him a new sense of gratitude.
“Where I’ve been, it runs the gamut,” Joerger told The Inquirer by phone last week. “There’s times you feel, ‘This is not going to stop me. There’s nothing that can stop me. I’ve got such a great support system,’ and then there’s times you just don’t know if you can go on anymore. Physically, mentally, it’s like, ‘This hurts.’ It’s given me a great appreciation for all the gifts and all the things that we have been given. …
“Should it really take me getting cancer to realize all that? I feel like I’m pretty humble and I’ve always had an appreciation and a gratitude, but not certainly to the level of, ‘Wow, I have it good as a human being.’”
It’s great to see Joerger back on the bench and doing better. He is currently in his 14th season in the NBA, Nine in Memphis(six as an assistant and three as head coach), three in Sacramento as the head coach, and is in his second season as an assistant with the Sixers.
Playoff Time
While the Sixers did lose three of the four meetings with the Raptors this season, all of the games were close. The average margin of victory in those games was just 5.25 points.
With the Sixers being shorthanded for the games in Toronto there will be more pressure and importance for the team’s home games. If Philly can get off to a 2-0 start in the first two games, then there will less pressure on the games in Toronto.
With Thybulle being out, the Sixers will need contributions from some of their backup wings like Danny Green and George Niang. Both players have proven throughout their careers that they are capable and if they can deliver then it greatly improves the Sixers’ chances of advancing.